Floodlight



D. A. NATALE FLOODLIGHT June 20, 1950 Filed Nov. 24, 1947 Domim'/r A. Natale Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MODLIGHT Dominick A. Natale. East Rutherford. N. J.

Application November 2d, 1041', Serial No. 181,881

8 Claim. (Cl- 240-41) This invention relates to an improved floodlight. more particularly to a floodlight incor- Dora-ting therein a sealed unitary light producing and reflecting lamp bulb.

The invention has among its objects the provisionof a simple, ringed. iioodlight of the type indicated which is easy to make and economical to maintain. 5

The invention has a further object the provilion in such floodllght of an improved lamp bu!) mounting means which both cushions the bulb against mechanical shock and seals the interior oi the housing against the atmosphere.

These and further objects of the invention will be more readily apparent in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the hoodlight of the invention.

In the drawings which form a part of the specification.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of such preferred embodiment of the floodlight;

Figure 2 is a view of such floodlight in end elevation, the view being taken from the point of view indicated by the line 11-11 in Figure l;

figure 3 is a-view in vertical section through the longitudinal axis of the iloodlight housing;

Figure 4 is a view in vertical section through the rear end ofthe housing, the section being taken along the line lV-IV in Figure 3; and

Figure ii is anenlarged view in section of tfie front end of tlie housing in the region of t e sealing means, section being taken in same manner as in Figure 3.

The iioodlight shown consists of a housing designated generally by the reference character I.

Buch housing has an external contour generally in the shape of a solid of revolution cylindrical in rear portion and frusto-oonieal in its front portion. Such housing on its lower side has a projecting lug l inthe tom of an ear having a circular recess I in one side thereof. Such car cooperates with a standard in the form oi a a cap I having a similar smaller circular recess I the side of the upper end thereof which conlrontsreeessl. Buchupperendofihecap apd'theearlareclampedtogetherinthedesiredanguhrpositionbyaboltpassingthrough both-asshown. Thecaphasascrewthreaded in the bottom portion thereof into 2 the tubular upright support ll. lead wires supplying current to the lamp bulb are led. as shown. upwardly through standard II, through the hollow portionoithecapinto recess 1 andshereeess I. and thence into the housing.

The lamp bulb, shown generally at II. is of the sealed unitary light producing and reflecting type, more familiarly known as a "Sealed Beam" bulb. when the iloodlight is employed for lighting large areas, for example when it is used as an exterior iloodlight, the larger size bulbs such as 800 or 500 watt bulbs are employed. It is. of

' course, to be understood that the iloodlight 0! theinventionisnotsolimitedastosiraand thatitmsy,ifdesired.bemadeotasizetoreeeive any lamp bulb of the type indicated.

Housing 2 is provided at its closed rear end with a socket It located coaxial therewith and facing the open end or the housing. shown at the rightinl 'lguresiandfl. Thesocketismounted in the housing so that it may move toward and away from the open end of the housing but is constantly urged away from such open end. Such mounting means, in the embodiment shown. takes the form of two diametrically op posed laterally projecting ears which are provided with holes it extending parallel to the axis oi thev housing. Through the hole in each ear it there extends the headed stud 82 which is threadedly mounted in the thickened portion It at the rear end of the housing. A coil compression spring It is provided aroimd each stud 22 between the head thereof and the forward face of ear it, so that the socket It is constantly urgedtotheleftinFiguresland3.

The outer, forward, end 0! the housing is flared somewhat and is thickened, as shown at It. The opening at the end of such flared portion of the housing is made of a diameter approrimating the greatest diameter. and preferably at least slightly greater than the greatest diameter, of the bulb it. The bulb it shown is of the conventional type in which the diameter of the glam sheath increases from a point somewhat forward of its rear, contact, end to a maximum at a zone only slightly to the rear of its forward. lens, end. L

Thehousingisprovidedwith asealing means between its forward end and the sheath of the isfittedthescrewthreadedupperendoi lampbulbatasoneltattherearoi'.butclosely such material.

adjacent to, the zone of reatest diameter of the bulb. Such sealing means is provided by a circumferential, inwardly facing. G oove III in the housing, in which is positioned an annular sealing member 32, the inner face of which engages the lamp bulb at the circumferential zone 14 and eflects a seal therewith. Although any relatively soft and somewhat resilient material which is adequately heat resistant may be employed satisfactorily for member 82, it is pre ferred to make such member of long flbered asbestos without any bonding medium because of v the weather resistance and ease of forming of Member 32 may be formed in situ by thrusting such asbestos into the groove so as to build up the seal member to a height such that it extends inwardly of the housing. Preferably groove 30 is made with somewhat roughened side walls so that the sealing member will be firmly retained therein by interlocking therewith.

In Figure such side walls of groove are shown roughened in an exaggerated degree,- for purposes of illustration. Ordinarily, it will be sufllcient to form such groove during the casting of the housing 2, which is preferably made of metal, by employing a destructible sand core which will provide side walls in the groove oi. adequate roughness. If desired, however, the side walls of the core may be intentionally roughened to produce a corresponding added roughness or irregularity to the sides of groove 33.

The length of the housing 2 between the socket i6 and the sealing means is so chosen with respect to the length of the lamp bulb between its rear, contact, end and the sealing means engaging zone 34 that when the bulb is screwed into the socket in the position shown in Figure 3 it is subjected to tension between the socket and the sealing means. As a result a tight seal is maintained between the sealing means and the lamp bulb. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3 the dimensions of the housing are so chosen that the lamp socket has been pulled somewhat toward the opening in the housing against the action of springs 26, thereby insuring constant pressure between the lamp bulb sheath and the sealing means in spite of dimensional changes in the housing and/or lamp bulb occasioned by changes in their temperature. Such mounting of the lamp bulb also cushions it against mechanical shock, since sealing means 32 does not transmit vibrations or shocks very well from the housin to the bulb.

In the design of the floodlight shown, the lamp bulb is entirely within the housing with the exception of its forward, lens, portion. A suillcient amount of the bulb is exposed, however, so that one may grasp the outer edges of the lens portion and unscrew the bulb from the socket, if it is desired to remove the bulb.

Although I have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the floodlight of my invention, it is to be understood that such described embodiment is illustrative only, and that the invention is capable of considerable variation as to details.

I claim as new the following:

1. A floodlight comprising an elongated housing substantially closed at all but its front end, the housing having an opening at its front end. a screw-type socket mounted in the rear end of the housing facing the opening in the housing.

and arranged as to allow the socket to move Tall toward and away from the opening, means urguu the socket away from the opening. a sealed umtary light producing and reflecting lamp bulb mounted in the socket, the bulb increasing in diameter, toward its outer lens end, the front opening of the housing having a diameter approximating the diameter of the outer end oi the lamp bulb, the housing having an inwardly i'acing circumferentially extending sealing means thereon near the opening, the sealing means having its inner diameter somewhat smaller than that of the lamp bulb at its outer end, the length of the housing between the socket and the sealing means being such as to place the bulb in tension between the socket and the sealing means when the bulb is so mounted in the socket as to make electrical connection therewith.

2. A floodlight comprising an elongated housing substantially closed at all but its front end, the housing having an opening at its trout end, a screw-type socket mounted in the rear end of the housing facing the opening in the housing, the socket mounting means being so constructed and arranged as to allow the socket to move toward and away from the opening, means urging the socket away from the opening, a sealed unitary light producing and reflecting lamp bulb mounted in the socket, the bulb increasing in diameter toward its outer lens end, the front opening of the housing having a diameter approximating the diameter of the outer end of the lamp bulb, the housing having an inwardly facing circumferentially extending sealing means thereon near the opening, the sealing means having its inner diameter somewhat smaller than that of the lamp bulb at its outer end, such sealing means comprising a substantially continuous inwardly facing groove in the housing near the. opening therein and an annulus of soft packing material retained in such groove, the inner surface of the packing material projecting inwardly of the housing and adapted to engage a lamp bulb mounted in such housing to efiect a seal therewith, the length of the housing between the socket and the sealing means being such as to place the bulb in tension between the socket and the sealing means when the bulb is so mounted in the socket as to make electrical connection therewith.

3. A floodllght comprising an elongated housing the exterior of which is substantially in the form of a solid of revolution, said housing being substantially closed at all but its front end, the housing having an opening at its front end, a. screw-type socket mounted in the rear end of the housing facing the opening in the housing, the socket mounting means being so constructed and arranged as to follow the socket to move toward and away from the opening, means urging the socket away from the opening, a sealed unitary light producing and reflecting lamp bulb mounted in the socket, the bulb increasing in diameter toward its outer lens end, the front opening of the housing having a diameter approximating the diameter of the outer end of the lamp bulb, the housing having an inwardly facing circumferentially extending sealing means thereon near the opening, the sealing means having its inner diameter somewhat smaller than that of the lamp bulb at its outer end, such sealing means comprising a continuous inwardly facing groove in the housing near the opening therein, the sidewalls of such groove being rough, and an annulus of soft fibrous resilient packing material firmly retained in the groove by being tightly packed mums? thereinto, the inner surface of the packing material projecting inwardly of the, housing and adapted to engage a lamp bulb mounted in such housing to eilect a. seal therewith, the length of the housing between the socket and the sealmg means being such as to place the bulb in tension between the socket and the sealing means when the bulb is so mounted in the socket as to make electrical connection therewith.

DOLIINICK A. NATALE.

8 amnnncns mm The following references are of record in the file 01' this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 722,979 Hausa Mar. 17, 1903 1,313,739 Ryerson Aug. 19, 1919 1,557,555 Buchanan Oct. 20, 1925 1,640,831 Hunt Aug. 30, 1927 1,701,908 Buchanan Feb. 12, 1929 2,007,599 Fageol July 9, 1935 2,081,703 Germonprez May 25, 1937 2,286,448 Walflberiz June 16, 1942 

